There are numerous articles being written about the welfare of Ukraine nowadays. There was for example “The World does not care enough”, “Knock off the ugly partisanship as Ukraine hangs in the balance”, and “Putin is determined to destroy the freedoms many fought for in Ukraine.” The same can be said about African Americans here in the United States. You fill in the blanks!
Two democracies are at risk, one in the United States and the other in Ukraine. The urgent response of our government to save these democracies could not be more different than night and day. On the one hand, President Biden has provided Ukraine with millions of dollars of direct aid in military equipment and training from American advisors. Thousands of American troops have been mobilized to neighboring NATO countries of Ukraine. Moreover, President Biden has entered high-level talks and direct intervention with Russia’s President Putin. The message from our government is that we are taking these actions because the threat is real and imminent.
The U.S. Congress has sent a bi-partisan delegation to Ukraine to assess the situation firsthand. The President and the Congress have made it clear to our nation and the world community that Ukraine is a top priority of his administration. “The resolution from the senators does not carry the force of law but puts the U.S. legislative body on record with “unwavering United States support for a secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine” and “denounces the Russian military buildup” on Ukraine’s border. The vote was unanimous, without objection or the formal roll call”. The message is that the United States will stand with NATO members to defend democracy.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the Biden administration’s response to ensuring that our democracy is at home is working on behalf of citizens of color, particularly African Americans, their response pales in comparison. President Biden’s leadership in securing voting rights was muted and limited. The broad range of resources available to him, the bully pulpit, FBI, the Justice Department have been silent or placed in stand-down mode.
The Senate, both the Democrats and Republicans, has voted down voting rights bills.
So, the Biden Administration has moved on. A political gesture is being made to nominate an African American woman to the Supreme. The Supreme Court is an institution that no longer regards precedents and is fast on its way to becoming obsolete. The current justices should take their black robes and put an R or D after their names.
There are reports that the Ukrainian government says the United States is overreacting to the threat of Russia. It appears President Biden is more concerned about Ukraine than Ukraine is about its future. Here in the United States, African American citizens ask that their voting rights be protected. We do not get the same vigorous response and priority as the Ukrainian crisis. African American citizens’ lives are in trouble regarding voting rights being curtailed across the country. Our very lives are taken by law enforcement agencies and sometimes as we sleep.
The United States has provided round-the-clock communication with world leaders and given Ukraine millions of dollars of military aid and training.
While here at home, no such urgency can be found anywhere in our government. However, the African American communities, people of color, and others ask that our democracy be saved. There are attacks taking place across the country on voting rights. There has been an attack on the Capitol, and little has been done to address it.
How long will there be a free press since it has chosen to focus on endless “investigations” as breaking news! The free media has decided to drop their voting rights coverage focus on things that matter to them. How many stories can the networks broadcast on masks?
Who will save our democracy?